Europe Holiday

25 July - Home

2008-09-09T13:27:00.003+10:00

On the morning of 23 July we packed up our suitcases and left our room. We left our suitcases at the hotel while we went off sightseeing. We got the tube to Knightsbridge and walked to Harrods store. It was fascinating. The store is so immaculate, beautifully set out and decorated and the goods are first class. Even in the greengrocery area, the items are artistically displayed and the quality is obvious. There were numerous staff ready to meet your every shopping desire. It is a shopping palace. I didn’t buy much, the obligatory Harrods bag and that was it. Terry hates shopping but it was interesting even for him to see a store like this.

We then got back to the tube and on to Victoria Station. From there we walked down Buckingham Palace Road to the Royal Mews at the Palace. There we looked at the Royal carriages and stables. The various ornately decorated carriages and limousines were an extravagance to behold. One of the carriages was a gift from the Australian Government. The Royal stables were an equine palace, but we saw few horses. We saw the coronation coach complete with “stuffed” horses and horsemen (waxworks??) in all its gaudy extravagance. Most impressive were the public toilets – the best I’ve seen on my holiday, decorated with beautiful rose tiles.

We walked past the palace and across the road to St James Park where we sat in the sunshine, eating our sandwiches as we watched the marine birds on the pond. It was sad to contemplate that this was our last day in London and we were sitting here in St James Park – one of those “pinch me, is this real?” moments.

We walked on through the park and on to Trafalgar Square and again visited the National Gallery. Fortunately, it was not as crowded as it had been on the weekend and we were able to view the wonderful paintings more comfortably. They have beautiful Van Gogh paintings and we saw many of the paintings of other famous artists including Constable, Turner, Gainsborough, Rembrandt, and many more. We finally had to leave the Gallery and those beautiful paintings to return to our hotel and commence the long trek home to Australia.

We picked up our luggage and got the tube to Terminal 3 at Heathrow. The tube was crowded most of the way and it was a hot day, probably about 28 deg C. We checked in our luggage and waited for hours till our plane left at 8.30 pm (Emirates Flight EK 4, London to Dubai). Writing this later, so can’t remember a lot of that flight. We were given dinner and I watched some of the in-flight entertainment to pass the time. A young man sat in front of me and had his seat back the whole time. We saw the sun rise over the Arabian desert just before we landed in Dubai. We had to get off and change planes, about a two hour process then boarded at 8.45 am 24 July (Emirates Flight EK 432, Dubai to Brisbane). Trying to sleep, we stopped at Singapore to refuel and had to leave the plane and reboard which took about 1 ½ hours. Finally we arrived in Brisbane about 6.30 am 25 July. We got through Customs etc. and were pleased to be greeted by Sharney and Mum. They had gotten up at 5.00 am to come and see us arrive. We chatted for a while and then Matthew picked us up and took us home. Mark and Eichelle were there, having taken the day off work. It was nice to see them but felt very strange to be home. We were so tired and finding it difficult to adjust but that will come with time. We had such a wonderful holiday – an unforgettable experience!

22 July - London, England

2008-09-09T11:03:00.009+10:00

After a bit of a sleep-in and breakfast, we got the tube to see the Imperial War Museum. We first looked at the World War I trench that we could walk through which had very realistic mockups of some scenes including a man writing a letter home in his underground trench, and a medic treating a wounded soldier. It was very well done and interesting and at least we didn't have to trudge through mud as they would have in the real thing. We looked through the World War I section and then the World War II. We had a very good experience as we went into the World War II “bomb shelter” with a guide who talked us through a bombing raid, then took us out into the area that had been bombed and described what it would have been like. The kids in our group were fascinated to see part of a bath lying in the street. It was quite realistic.

We then looked at the “Children in War Exhibition” in the Museum which showed exhibits relating to the London children who were evacuated to country areas, and even overseas to avoid the Blitz. There were poignant letters written by parents to their children whom they later learned had been torpedoed as they crossed the Atlantic Ocean. It was very well done with exhibits of what the children would have had in their suitcases. They also had audio recordings by the children as adults recalling their experiences – oral history.

After having lunch at the Museum, we headed towards the Thames and the Tate Modern art gallery. This was full of what can only be loosely described as “art”. For example, one piece was a sketch of industrial buildings on the wall of the gallery with two stuffed birds with arrows through them attached to the wall. It was all very deep and meaningful, but “art” - perhaps in the eye of the beholder!! When we finally had enough of this “art” we headed off along the Thames on the Queen's Walk.

We walked past the London Eye, the huge ferris wheel which is surrounded by a carnival atmosphere of buskers and “living statues”. Fortunately, we had decided not to go on the ferris wheel, which looked much bigger than the one in Vienna, because the queues were very long and the pods looked crowded too.

We walked to Westminster station and got the tube “home”. We had a short rest then later met Nicole and had dinner with her at the Earls Court Tavern. We said goodbye to Nicole, which was sad and happy at the same time. She is enjoying living in London so we are very happy for her, but sad to say goodbye.

21 July - London, England

2008-09-08T11:38:00.004+10:00

We were up early for breakfast then walked to the Marriott Hotel in Kensington to wait for our Evan Evans Bus to pick us up for our tour. The bus took us to Victoria Station where we were split into the different tour groups – our “Tour 65” headed for Windsor Castle, Stonehenge and Oxford.

Our tour guide, Hugh, gave us some commentary as we set out for Windsor Castle which was about 1½ hour drive out of London and out west into the countryside. We arrived at the Castle and admired its strong features. Our guide advised us to head straight for the State Apartments, with our audioguides. We saw the apartments which were very lavish and filled with beautiful paintings and fittings. We saw the area that was severely fire damaged in the 1990s but has since been restored and improved. We saw the room where the Queen Knights people. We then rushed off to St George's chapel where many of the Royal Family are buried, including the Queen's parents and sister. We couldn't see all of it properly as we had to rush back to our bus.

Another 1 ½ hour’s drive brought us to Stonehenge. We were blessed with the weather today. It was cool but sunny, so very pleasant, and we saw everything today in the best light. Stonehenge was very interesting, but smaller than I expected. I thought the stones would be much higher. The tourists obviously love it and it was fairly crowded. There are many theories about what Stonehenge is all about but no one really knows. It was great to see such an old man-made structure. At 5,000 years old, it is probably the oldest we've seen on our holiday.

Then we had another 1½ hour drive to Oxford where we had a walking tour of the main historic buildings of the university. We didn't go inside any but they were lovely from the outside. Hugh told us a bit about what student life would have been like here hundreds of years ago when the students didn't sit written exams but were interrogated by their examiners and judged by their skill in verbally arguing their case. We then had about 45 minutes “free time” to look around the town centre before reboarding our bus for the return to London. We saw some of the countryside, however, most of the roads have thick bushes beside them, presumably as noise barriers. The roads were all very clean and we have seen very little graffiti around and in London. There are always street sweepers out, manually or in little machines.

It was a very good day and great to see all that we did, though I felt it was all very rushed, which is the nature of that tour. Each of these tourist attractions would ideally be a day trip each really, but when time doesn't allow, it is a good compromise. We got back to Earl’s Court and had dinner at the Earl’s Court Tavern.

20 July - London, England

2008-09-07T14:53:00.004+10:00

After a late breakfast we set out on the tube to see Kensington Gardens and Kensington Palace. The gardens are lovely and green. There is a memorial garden for Princess Diana there, as she lived in Kensington Palace. The garden is a children's playground which is strictly supervised – no entry without child. We walked around the palace which has a really beautiful and colourful sunken garden which has many birds living there.

We then got the tube to Marble Arch to take photos of that and encountered difficulties trying to leave the area. There were roadworks everywhere and footpaths were blocked off so we couldn't cross roads there. After taking photos of the Arch, we got back on the tube and headed to Trafalgar Square. Nicole texted that she would come there to meet us. Terry and I had a look at the National Portrait Gallery, which had some impressive work displayed. We then waited for Nicole and had a look at the National Gallery. Tama soon joined us and we had a look at a couple of areas but we would really need all day to see it all. It is so incredibly big, with paintings from all the great artists.

We left there and went to the Cabinet War Rooms and Churchill Museum. The War Rooms were sealed up at the end of the war and later re-opened. They are just as they were when the war ended – eerie to see all the files, maps, paperwork all preserved. It served as an underground bunker for the Prime Minister, Cabinet and Generals to direct the Second World War. It was fascinating to see. The rooms have very life-like mannequins dressed in the style of the time. There was one who was one of the poor secretaries who worked for Churchill and had to deal with his very difficult dictation and work style.

We all then went for dinner at a nearby corner pub, The Red Lion, and enjoyed a meal and good conversation before getting the tube “home”.

19 July - London, England

2008-09-07T09:53:00.004+10:00

After breakfast, we got the tube to Hyde Park to have a look around the park. It is very big with a mixture of park styles. There are paths for pedestrians, bikes and horse riding with beautiful manicured green spaces as well as “natural” areas. There are water courses which seem popular with paddle boats. There were dark threatening clouds so we made our way quickly and found the Princess Diana Memorial Fountain just as the skies opened up with heavy rain. We sheltered under a large tree and waited for the rain to pass then we got the tube back to our room.

We got a bit more dressed up and got the tube to Covent Garden to meet Nicole. We had a quick lunch and then headed for the Lyceum Theatre to see “The Lion King” musical show. It was very good and we all enjoyed the performance. The costumes and stage settings were beautiful and cleverly done. The singing and dancing was also great and it was very enjoyable. We had a coffee after that before getting the tube back to Earl’s Court. We had dinner at a different Italian restaurant. Terry asked the people at the table next to us about the Australia/South Africa rugby game which he was pleased to learn that Australia won. We walked back to our accommodation via Nevern Square where Larn had stayed when he was working here. It is a lovely area too.

18 July - London, England

2008-09-06T16:31:00.006+10:00

After breakfast, we got the tube in to Westminster to look at Big Ben and the Parliament buildings. We walked across Westminster Bridge to get better photos from the other side of the river. The weather was overcast but a little less cool than yesterday with occasional drizzle. After taking photos, we walked back across the bridge and headed to Westminster Abbey. Beside it is St Margaret's Church. We entered with hordes of other people. This building is dripping with history. After paying our entry fee, we collected an audio-guide and started walking around. We saw where the Queen was crowned, where Mary Queen of Scots is entombed (and many others). It was another beautiful building full of history.

We then headed back to Earl’s Court to meet Nicole for lunch. It was great to see her. She looked great and happy. We had lunch at a corner pub, The Prince of Teck. Terry tried the local beer, but won't have another one. We had a lovely long lunch catching up with Nicole. She is working for a family, looking after their kids and they sound like very good employers. She left to go back to work and we returned to our room for a rest.

Later in the evening we went on the tube to meet Tama at Oxford Street. He took us to dinner at Sketch at Soho in the West End. This is a “trendy” London restaurant, interesting and unusual. It is also an art gallery and our room had a lovely light show around the walls as we ate. The food was delicious and we had a great time chatting with Tama. The “washrooms” were worth a visit themselves, egg-shaped cubicles, with female attendants rushing to give you a clean towel after your “visit”. It was fascinating. After we left there, we walked along Regent Street. It was lovely to see the lights of the streets. We said goodbye to Tama and got the tube home.

17 July - London, England

2008-09-06T12:19:00.007+10:00

After breakfast we got the tube to see the Tower of London. It was cold and miserable today with some light rain and I wore the wrong coat!! We had a guided tour by a Beefeater who told us some of the gruesome tales associated with the Tower. He was interesting and entertaining and we enjoyed the tour. Beefeaters must have served at least 22 years in the army and have reached the rank of sergeant-major. Our guide had a strong voice – he needed no megaphone!

After the tour, we explored on our own, first checking out the Crown Jewels which were of course, magnificent. They had the biggest sapphire I've ever seen as well as other extravagantly large jewels. We saw the White Tower, which is being restored at the moment.

We had some lunch and then walked across Tower Bridge which is a really lovely bridge, though the wind across it was very cold today. We followed the “Queen's Walk” along the river to the Globe Theatre. Disappointingly, the tours for the day had stopped, so we only saw the outside.

We walked across a pedestrian bridge nearby to St Paul's Cathedral which was a most impressive building. The ornate artwork on the ceilings was stunning. It was all so beautiful, it takes your breath away. It certainly has the WOW factor! We went below to crypts and saw several tombs of the famous, including Christopher Wren himself, and the Duke of Wellington. That was a long day so we got the tube home to our room.

16 July - London, England

2008-09-05T16:15:00.004+10:00

We had a nice breakfast in the breakfast room (included in room charge). Fortunately, the hotel was able to offer us a slightly larger room on the 1st floor which was a great improvement on our dungeon in the basement. So I'm feeling a lot happier and comfortable about our accommodation. That took most of the morning to sort out. Tama (my niece Michelle's husband) had rung and we arranged to meet him for lunch at Covent Garden. We got week Oyster cards at the Earl’s Court tube station and got the tube to Piccadilly Circus. The tube is a small train with seats lining the sides of the train, so you are seated on the sides. When we got off, we had to ascend via very long, steep escalators. We walked along Leicester Square and on to Covent Garden to meet Tama. This is the theatre area and I saw that “The Lion King” is on at the Lyceum. We had lunch at Covent Garden which is not really a “garden” but a shopping/market complex. We had a lovely time catching up with Tama who had just returned from Paris where he was playing touch football.

Tama then took us for a walk down to the Thames River where we could see the London Eye ferris wheel and on towards Big Ben. We then walked along the riverside to Big Ben and Trafalgar Square. Tama had to leave us to go to work. We then walked through St James Park, with its beautiful gardens and ponds, going towards Buckingham Palace, which was just magnificent, as you'd expect. There were heaps of people there, some even getting their photo taken with a London bobby. We walked through Green Park and got the tube back to Earl’s Court and back to our hotel.

I phoned Nicole (my niece) and arranged to meet her for lunch on Friday. I booked three tickets for “The Lion King” for the Saturday matinee and invited Nicole to come with us to that. So that will be our London show.

15 July - London, England

2008-09-05T09:51:00.003+10:00

At breakfast we talked to Gerry and Barbara, who went on the Bran Castle trip yesterday. They said it was great, despite the long day and they had a terrific guide which helped a lot. After breakfast, we were put on a mini-bus with four other fellow passengers and we headed to the Bucharest airport. It was raining a bit and that didn't help with the traffic. Our bus driver skilfully negotiated his way through the horrendous traffic to the airport. There don't seem to be any road rules here!! We boarded our British Airways plane and flew to London.

We were then late to the shuttle bus I had booked with dot2dot. But we didn't have to wait long and then we had a long drive in to London city. We finally arrived at the Mayflower Hotel, which looked very nice from the outside. However, when they told us our room number was B2 (B as in basement), my heart sank. Sure enough, just like in Amsterdam, we are in the basement in a small room (though not quite as small as Amsterdam). There are Eastern European workmen outside our window that looks up on to a courtyard. They're yelling and talking as they work. They finished about 5 o'clock, but what time will they start in the morning! Terry enquired about a larger room and was told that there are smaller rooms available at the moment but no larger ones – maybe tomorrow. One redeeming feature is they have free wireless – and it works with my computer!! So we're a bit disappointed, especially as we'll be here a while.

It's ironic really. We've just come from a most luxurious hotel in one of Europe's poorest countries to a substandard room in a rich country. I wasn't expecting luxury here, but room to move would be nice.

After a rest, we went for a walk down Earls Court Road and had dinner in a lovely family Italian restaurant. We'll have to work out what to do here as there is so much.

14 July - Bucharest, Romania

2008-09-04T11:13:00.002+10:00

We changed our mind about going to see Bran Castle. We had a briefing last night by the Tour Manager who said it was a four hour drive to the castle, about an hour looking at the castle, sightseeing and souvenir shopping nearby, lunch and then a four hour drive back. We were really too tired to do another very big day of riding in a bus. I've also come down with a cold, though not as bad as Terry's – yet. We decided to have a rest day instead. We had a nice breakfast at the hotel and we said goodbye to Hans, our cruise boat tour manager. He's flying home to Amsterdam for a break. He did a wonderful job.

Terry had a rest and I did some emails and checked some internet sites to get the most out of our expensive internet time. After lunch we went for a walk down to Revolution Square along Victory Street and returned via Cismigiu Gardens, a beautiful park with a large artificial lake. As it was a hot day, the cool shade of the park was welcome. It was interesting to walk as you get a different perspective. The drivers are maniacs here and you have to be careful crossing the street (even when the pedestrian light is green). Parking is at a premium and people park on the footpaths, on corners, across pedestrian crossings – its unreal. The footpaths are a nightmare as I guess there's no money in the budget to maintain them – that's if you have a footpath to walk on at all!! So it was an interesting experience - “travel adventure” as my dear Polish cousin, Stella, would say.

We got back to the hotel, tired and hot, and headed to the nearest bar for a nice cold drink – Terry beer, me sparkling mineral water – very refreshing!! A couple from the boat joined us and we chatted about our day in Bucharest. Then we returned to our room and prepared for dinner, again in the Italian restaurant downstairs – very nice.

13 July - Bucharest, Romania

2008-09-03T15:41:00.002+10:00

We were awake early to pack, as we left the boat this morning. Our boat had travelled through the night to Oltenita, Romania, our last port of call. Our bags were loaded on to buses and we joined them for a two hour drive to Bucharest and a tour of the city. As we've travelled along, each country has been poorer and this is the poorest. As we drove along, we often saw vehicles pulled by horses or donkeys, which seems quaint to us and a great “photo opportunity” but it is because they can't afford cars or tractors. There are some villages that look very poor and others with modern houses under construction.

We arrived in Bucharest and were taken to the Palace of the Parliament, begun by Ceausescu in 1984 but not completed before the Revolution that saw him lose power. It is the second largest building in the world – 1,000 rooms and 365,000 square metres (one for each day of the year). All men of a certain age had to serve some time helping in its construction, working 24 hours a day, seven days a week in shifts. We saw only 2% of the building and that was staggering. When Ceausescu fell, there was some debate about what to do with it. Some wanted to dynamite it, but it is now used as the Parliament building and some rooms are for conferences etc. I paid €10 for a permit to photograph inside the building, which was well worth it.

Our guide, George, took us to Revolution Square and told us about the fall of Ceausescu in December 1989, showing us the building from where he stood to try and appease his angry people. There are many other beautiful buildings and monuments in this square and it was interesting to be in this place where so much happened almost 20 years ago.

We were taken to lunch at the Pescarus Restaurant and finally to check in to the Marriott Hotel which is the most luxurious hotel we've ever stayed in. We didn't get into our room till about 4.00 pm and we are still tired. Tomorrow is another very long day to visit Bran Castle. We know it will tire us but we figure, we may never be back this way so we can't miss it. We can rest later!!

12 July - Black Sea

2008-09-03T09:23:00.003+10:00

Today was a very long day (in fact I'm writing this the following day as I was too exhausted to do it last night). Our boat is still docked at Rousse and after breakfast, both Terry and I got on the bus to Varna on the Black Sea. Terry wasn't feeling too much better but wasn't going to miss another day of sightseeing. It was about a three hour drive (with comfort stop) to Varna which is very popular with overseas tourists, especially from Britain. We first visited the Varna Archeological Museum which has some beautiful exhibits dating back to the beginning of civilisation in Europe.

It is really beautiful here on the Black Sea, but because it has no surf, held little interest for Terry. We had lunch in the Baba Vida restaurant which is a stationery “old sail boat”, with lovely atmosphere. Most of the men were more interested (not Terry) in the topless and naked women (and some men) sunbaking on the beach. Terry and I went for a walk along the pier and on the way back I went down to the water, just so I could say I'd put my hand in the Black Sea and a small wave washed over my feet. Never mind. I fared better than another lady from our group (in her 80s) who fell right in and had to find a change of clothes.

We then boarded a boat which took us for an hour cruise out from Varna and back again to see the city and surrounds from the water. It was very pleasant and nice to have the sea breeze on this hot day.

Our bus then took us to see the Romanian Queen Maria's park which was designed and arranged between 1924 and 1936. This was a very “touristy” place and we had to run a gauntlet of tacky souvenir shops before the entrance to the park. We were hot and we had to wait for ages to get into the toilet (as usual), so we were a little fed up by this time. It was then a two hour bus ride back to the boat which had during the day moved on to Silistra.

When we arrived back, about 7.00 pm, the pier and boat entrance were highly decorated with balloons. We had dinner, and then learned the reason for the festive mood. The pontoon at which we were docked was being blessed by an Orthodox priest after being recently constructed by the owner of the hotel in front of which it stood. It was a very big occasion, with media there to cover it. The blessing ceremony was wonderful to see. The old priest dressed in all his regalia was quite a spectacle. Then there was Bulgarian folk dancing by some children accompanied by a small folk band. They had more singing and the best was someone unknown to us but who sounded exactly like Frank Sinatra. The evening was capped off with some spectacular fireworks over our boat. So we were very lucky to be here for this occasion – but it was a very long day!!

11 July - Veliko Turnovo, Bulgaria

2008-09-02T09:29:00.003+10:00

Terry was still feeling miserable with his cold so he stayed on the boat today while I went on the day trip. We had arrived in Rousse, Bulgaria this morning and we boarded buses for the two hour drive to Veliko Turnovo. It was a lovely drive through the Bulgarian countryside with our guide, David, who was from Scotland. He travelled to Bulgaria in 1991 and fell in love with his tourist guide and married her. We saw the Tzarevetz Castle on the top of the mountains. We stopped at the Hotel Yantra for morning tea and then had a walk along the Samovodsk Charshia, a street full of wonderful craft shops. I spent a bit of time and money there.

Our bus then took us on to Arbanassi for lunch and while eating, we watched a lovely display of folk dancing. We then visited the beautiful Christ Nativity Church with its walls filled with wonderful frescoes and gold. When the Turks occupied the area they allowed a Christian church to be built as long as it was unobtrusive. So from the outside it is not obvious it is a church but the inside is a wonder. We also visited Konstantsaliev House, a preserved traditional Bulgarian home, showing how the people lived in past times. We were not permitted to take photos inside these two historic buildings.

We looked at another craft shop and I tried rose liqueur. Bulgaria is renowned for its roses which are sent to France for perfume manufacture. I bought a Bulgarian apron to wear with my black dress. There are so many beautiful things to buy here.

Our bus returned to the boat and Terry was still not well. This evening was the Captain's Farewell Dinner, and it was a lot of fun. Terry and I sat on our own but enjoyed the evening very much.

10 July - Vidin, Bulgaria

2008-09-01T10:13:00.005+10:00

We arrived in Vidin,

Bulgaria

this morning and after breakfast we boarded buses for an hour's drive through Vidin and the countryside to Belogradchick to see its castle and the unusual rock formations. They look like statues but are naturally weathered sandstone rocks resembling different figures, for example, Adam and Eve kissing. The rocks were declared a natural landmark in 1949 with the formations varying in colour from red through yellow to grey. This is a major tourist attraction but they need more infrastructure in place. This is a poor country still trying to get on its feet after the collapse of communism. The toilets here were not what we've been used to but we coped. Some things don't change – women still in long queues!! The fortress area is on top of a mountain and we had a challenging walk to the top to see the great views.

After that we returned to Vidin to see the Baba Vida Fortress close to the Danube River. It was very hot today. We watched a terrific group of local school children performing their dancing and singing to the music of a small band playing Bulgarian instruments. The children's costumes were so colourful and beautiful and we enjoyed their enthusiastic performance very much, even though it was an open air theatre and it was quite hot today. Unfortunately, our tour was running late so we had no time to stop and buy some of the local craft souvenirs.

One of my regrets about this part of the tour, through the Balkans, is that we were unprepared for it in terms of money. We thought they would not be using Euros in this part of the world, however, we have found that in most of the “touristy” places take them. If we'd known, we would have had a lot more small denomination coins and notes to buy things and to give to our guides and bus drivers. It is customary to tip them both and I would like to have given them more than I have. The average monthly salary in Bulgaria is about 250 Euros.

Today our guide told us about the economic and political situation in Bulgaria. When communism collapsed, former landowners returned and claimed their lands after proving ownership. The unemployment rates in the villages is very high and the young people go to the capital, Sofia, or to other countries seeking work. Whole villages have been abandoned and some villages like some were saw today have many abandoned houses – very sad to see. No one wants to live there, so housing is very cheap, if the owners will sell. Also large tracts of land remain uncultivated because the owners have left and can't sell. The soil is so rich but it takes money to make things grow. Our guide was optimistic that things will improve, especially now Bulgaria is a member of the EU. It is such a beautiful country, so we must encourage people to visit and spend their money.

We returned to the boat and immediately set sail. As we head towards the Black Sea, we have Bulgaria on our right hand side and Romania on our left.

9 July - Iron Gates and Kazan Gorge

2008-08-31T13:40:00.004+10:00

Today we had a lovely day staying on board as we cruised along the Danube passing through Kazan Gorge and the Iron Gates that separate Serbia from Romania. The Gorge was dammed by the Yugoslav and Romanian governments in the 1970s and supplies most of their power through hydro-electricity. We passed through spectacular scenery through the gorge also seeing remains of castles that were all but submerged when the gorge was dammed. We passed through the last two locks of our journey which were huge – Iron Gate I and Iron Gate II, when we were lowered 30 metres to the next level of the river.

After lunch, which we had on deck – quite hot – one of our passengers, Donna, gave a presentation on using digital cameras which I very much enjoyed. I picked up a few things I didn't know.

We had dinner with a British/American couple who were quite interesting, both retired. He had worked for Barclays Bank and had been all over the world with his job, now settled in America.

8 July - Kostolac, Serbia

2008-08-31T09:41:00.003+10:00

We left Belgrade during breakfast and had a view of the fortress as we cruised away. Hans, our Cruise Manager, gave us a lecture on the European Union which was very interesting. The next two countries we visit, Bulgaria and Romania only joined last year.

At lunch time we docked at Kostolac, still in Serbia and after lunch we had a presentation by a team from the Viminacium Archaeological site before we boarded the buses to see the site. Terry stayed behind as his knee was sore and he wasn't interested in ancient Roman ruins anyway. Our bus drove through the village of Kostolac on the way to the site. The area is dominated by a large power plant which is the main employer for the area. The plant was built in the 1970s with no regard for the heritage value of the area, so much of the main burial areas were simply bulldozed. The rest of the excavated site is very close by and now the government has a more enlightened attitude to its ancient heritage. We saw three excavated sites – Roman baths, part of the army camp, and the burial grounds. Viminacium was larger than Pompeii and was built in the first century and destroyed by the Huns in the fifth century. Unlike other Roman cities, it was never built over and remained largely intact but was subject to pilfering. Many of the bricks were also used for other buildings down the centuries.

As we drove through the village, I saw photographs of people with birth date and death date below the photo and they were posted on the fences outside the houses. Our guide told us that it was a Serbian tradition that when someone dies, this “notice” is put up outside the house for a year.

We returned to the boat and enjoyed dinner with Ari and Lee, the American/Israeli couple and Deeanne and Arnold from South Africa. We had some interesting conversation. Towards the end of our meal a group, Belgrade Old Town Music, played for us and they were great. So another wonderful day of history and culture.

7 July - Belgrade, Serbia

2008-08-30T11:06:00.005+10:00

We arrived in Belgrade this morning. I was very pleased to discover that we were in a “hot spot” that was compatible with our computer, so sent off several emails. After breakfast, we had a lecture from a local historian, Slobodan, on the history of Serbia and in particular what happened here in the 1990s. When NATO bombed Belgrade, the bridges were saved because hundreds of the local people formed a “human shield” on the bridge. His views on this conflict and war generally were very interesting.

A short time later when we boarded buses for our tour, we were fortunate to have Slobodan as our guide. He pointed out some of the buildings which had been bombed and were still in ruins, but had been sold to multi-national hotel chains for millions of dollars. We went to the Belgrade fortress that surrounds the city which has seen many conflicts over the centuries because of Serbia's strategic position, including the First World War. It was sobering to learn that 6 million people have died in the area in which we stood, defending the fortress. From the top of the hill on which the fortress stands we had a beautiful view of the Danube River below and across the river on the plains below “the rest of Europe” which further confirmed Belgrade's strategic position.

Our bus then took us to the centre of the city for a short walk and a break for drinks and “comfort stop” at the Majestic Hotel. The cold drink was very welcome on this 38 deg C day. We then reboarded the bus and looked at some of the lovely residential buildings on the high side of the city, some of which were Embassies. We were told that we were not permitted to take photos of Embassies (their request) as cameras had been confiscated in the past. We stopped at St. Sava's Temple Orthodox Church which is still being built. It is beautiful inside with stunning architecture.

Slobodan told us more about Tito and his form of communism which was supported by the West by leaders like Churchill and Truman. Tito stood up to Stalin and survived and then went his own way. Slobodan pointed out the large McDonalds in the city and told us that had been there 35 years (one of the first in Europe), so that demonstrated that Tito was very different to the other communist leaders, in that he supported a form of capitalism and foreign investment of which there were many billions of dollars.

We returned to our boat for lunch and later got a shuttle bus back to the city. We had a short walk around the main shopping precinct and the fortress park before returning to the boat to escape the heat.

We had dinner with a couple, Mary and Bob, who migrated from Northern Ireland to Auckland 50 years ago, aged 20. Mary's father died 25 years ago and since then every year they have holidayed away from the three month New Zealand winter to return to Ireland to see Mary's mother, now aged 94. They combine the maternal visit with a holiday, so they came via Alaska and doing our boat trip before going to Ireland and returning home via Thailand.

After dinner, a local music and dance group, Talija Serbian Folklore Show, entertained us in the lounge. The dancers were very exuberant and had different colourful costumes throughout the show, representing different parts of Serbia, Croatia and Hungary. The musicians were amazing too, a four piece group. The clarinet player and violinist were outstanding. So we really enjoyed the show.

6 July - Vukovar, Croatia

2008-08-29T09:06:00.008+10:00

We weren't woken up fortunately and we are now docked at Vukovar in

Croatia

. After breakfast we boarded a bus for a tour through the town and out in to the countryside. The sights in Vukovar were very confronting and distressing as we saw some of the devastation that was inflicted during the conflict of the 1990s. This is where the war with the Serbs began and the town was besieged for three months with continuous shelling, killing thousands. Ninety percent of the town was ruined and it was very sad to see the bombed out buildings, and walls marked by bullets and shrapnel. Since the war ended, there has been a huge effort to rebuild the town.

Our bus took us on to Osijek and we watched a performance by children in national costume, belonging to the Bizovac Culture and Art Society, founded in 1968 to preserve the costumes and musical culture of the region. Their costumes were beautifully made and elaborately decorated with intricate embroidery. They sang and danced for us and they were very sweet. We then visited the 18^th century fortress nearby, the St Anthony's Church and the town square.

We continued to the village of Bilje for a “home hosted lunch”, a concept I was not familiar with. Through agencies, the cruise boat company books people in private homes to have “guests” from the boat for lunch, so that we can see a local person's home and ask about their lives while being provided with a home-cooked meal. We were divided into groups of about 10 (our group had 11) and we had a lovely lunch provided by a woman named Snježana Bagaric. She told us she and her husband had a “mixed marriage”, she being Orthodox and her husband Catholic. They married three months before the war began and they were holidaying in Germany and didn't return to Croatia until the conflict ended in 1998. In the meantime she had two children. Her husband is a builder and stone mason and she works at home doing the lunches and provided B&B rooms, so she can be home for her children while they are at school. It was a good insight into a local's circumstances.

Our bus returned to the boat again through countryside littered with landmines and ravaged Vukovar streets. Our guide said that on present estimates, the mines won't be cleared until 2040 which is tragic because the land is so fertile and much of it cannot be used because of mines. Accidents are less frequent than they used to be as children are taught from an early age not to play in areas displaying the land mine signs. It is a sad legacy of the terrible war and we saw the signs as we drove along the road.

It was an interesting day but I was greatly affected by seeing the so recent evidence of the terrible war.

We had dinner with two American couples who were very nice and interesting to talk to.

5 July - Budapest, Hungary

2008-08-28T17:47:00.010+10:00

After breakfast we boarded buses to take us about 40 mins outside Budapest through the countryside to the Lazar Equestrian Park at Dömönyvölgyi, run by Hungarian champion horsemen, the Lazar Brothers. We had a wonderful horse riding show presented by very skilled horsemen who ride bareback in the old tradition. They were great to watch, the best being a rider who “rode” five horses. He had three horses abreast in front, and he stood on the two horses behind those three with one leg on each horse's back – amazing – and he rode at speed. The horses are taught to sit and lie down on command and to ignore loud noises such as the whip cracking. These skills were important in the old days because the Hungarian plains were flat and when they were pursued by enemies they could command their horses to lie down flat and hide. At the park we had a ride on a wagon, which was a bit uncomfortable for me as I was at the back and the rail was not very high so I was hanging on tight. The park also has a “zoo” of protected Hungarian old animal species, like the curly haired pig, and the hairy cattle dog, as well as goats, and fowls – very interesting. We were disappointed their souvenir shop was closed (with several tourist buses there, seemed a bit dum.)

It was interesting to learn from our guide that Hungary has 90% home ownership. While the communists were in power everything was owned by the state, then with the collapse of communism, the new government encouraged people to purchase the flats they lived in with cheap prices and low mortgages.

Our bus returned to the boat and it immediately set sail for our next destination, Vukovar.

After lunch we had a our safety drill – the alarm goes off and we all head for the sun deck, don life jackets and soon after return to our cabin. Following an afternoon nap, I decided I needed to work off some of the delicious lunch so walked and jogged around the deck for half an hour. I went to the gym for a weigh-in and was pleased to see the digital scales read 61.1 kgs (but is it accurate!!!!????)

Eating is such a pleasure on this boat and you can really indulge yourself if you want to. If you're up early enough (not for me) you can have coffee and pastries at 6.00 am in the patio lounge. Then from 7.00 to 9.00 am is the buffet breakfast in the restaurant. You can have morning tea later in the lounge. Then there is the delicious buffet lunch. From 4.00 to 5.00 pm afternoon tea is served in the lounge. Then dinner is served from 7.00 pm which has a menu from which you can choose from two or three options for each of the four courses. So there is no excuse for starving on this boat. The food is so hard to resist!

For dinner tonight we ate with a couple from Oregon, Ron, a lawyer, and his wife Pamela a school principal. We had a very enjoyable evening with them.

We've been warned that as we cross the border tonight, the Hungarian customs may force us to get out of bed to do a “face check” against our passports. The Captain said it hasn't happened often in the last couple of years, but warned us just in case and to just quietly co-operate if it happens. So here's hoping we don't get woken up tonight!!

4 July - Budapest, Hungary

2008-08-27T09:39:00.005+10:00

We arrived in Budapest early this morning with the weather cool, light rain and overcast. After breakfast we had a bus and walking tour of the city seeing its major highlights including the magnificent Parliament building, Heroes’ Square and the Palace at the top of the hill. The city has had many incarnations and was once two separate cities Buda (the hilly side) and Pest (the flat side), separated by the Danube River. We walked around Heroes' Square admiring the statues of Hungary's heroes. We were taken to the Palace and the Castle Hill district (a UNESCO World Heritage site). We saw the lovely St Matthias church and admired the views of the city from the top of the hill at the turrets and ramparts of the Fishermen’s Bastion. There were lovely craft shops selling beautiful Hungarian embroidery and I bought a lovely blouse and a doll.

We returned to the boat for lunch and after that I went on an optional tour with Maureen, the South African lady, while Terry stayed behind to rest. We passed Roman ruins, recently excavated then we were taken to the Caprice Diamond Centre which was disappointing. We thought we would see craftsmen working the jewels but it was just a hard sell (I didn't buy anything). Then we went to the Szentendre Artists' Village which was a bit like Montville with lots of craft shops. It was nice to see. While there, we saw a local army “passing out parade” with brass band which was great to see. Our guide gave us some insights into what life was like for Hungarians now after the collapse of communism. The economy is not doing very well and there is a lot of unemployment but it is gradually improving. The tourism industry is growing and that is helping.

We got the bus back to the boat and had dinner with Pat and Tom, from Deception Bay.

3 July - Bratislava, Slovakia

2008-08-26T10:04:00.006+10:00

Our boat arrived this morning in Bratislava, the capital of Slovakia. After breakfast, we did a bus and walking tour of the city which was very interesting as Slovakia has shaken off the shackles of the communist era and now has a thriving economy. The tourism industry is growing and the main new buildings in town belong to banks. We stopped at the Bratislava castle which gave us a good view of the city and of Austria which is very close by. We then did a walking tour of the old town which has many beautiful buildings, churches and squares.

We returned to the boat for lunch and after that we returned to the town and tried to use our computer at a public “hot spot” without success. We then visited an internet cafe and later walked around a little before returning to the boat for a rest. It was quite hot today, about 28 deg C. We had a drink in the lounge and the Captain's welcome dinner where we shared a table with Ernie and Frances, and Gerry and Barbara – all Americans. Lovely dinner and another late night.

2 July - Vienna, Austria

2008-08-25T17:16:00.003+10:00

We had a sleep-in this morning as we didn't have any tours to attend. After breakfast, we went to the nearby internet cafe which was great because they were able to get my computer to work with their system. So I sent off long emails to everyone (probably bore them to tears) about our cruise trip so far. The cafe also had phone booths so we made some calls home. The internet and phone rates were very cheap so it was a good opportunity to communicate with “home”. After we leave Vienna tonight, it will be unknown territory as far as the communication goes – we'll see.

After lunch on board, we got on board the bus for our tour to Schȍnbrunn Palace. It was almost a disaster as I'd forgotten by camera and had to run back on board to get it before the bus left.

We had a nice drive to the palace with our guide pointing out significant sites and then when we arrived at the Palace he guided us through some of the Palace apartments, telling us some of the history of the Hapsburg family. The rooms we saw were so opulent and the same as they were in the past. It was wonderful to see the beauty of the rooms but at the same time I felt a bit disgusted that these people were living so richly with far more than they needed. Each of the “children” of the monarch (for example Empress Marie Therese had 16 children) were entitled to five rooms each and each one was trying to outdo the other with the extravagant decorations. The palace has many historical connections and we stood in the room in which Russian Premier Kruschev and American President Kennedy met in 1961. We also stood in the room in which Napoleon stayed when he visited, so that was pretty awesome.

After the tour we had some time to ourselves to explore the gardens of the Palace which were really beautiful with colourful flowers (including orange lantana!!), and magnificent statues and fountains. It was quite a hot afternoon, about 28 deg C. We then reboarded our buses and returned to the boat for dinner. Our boat leaves Vienna tonight.

1 July - Vienna, Austria

2008-08-25T09:48:00.008+10:00

It was a sad day as many of our cruise boat friends are leaving the boat. Said goodbye to Jim and Bonnie from Idaho and Al and Shirley from Canada. A group of those “left behind” went to the nearby train station and caught the train to the heart of the city. Terry and I headed for the Spanish Riding School which was doing a low key performance at 11 o'clock. The main performers are now at their summer retreat, so we saw some mares and foals and some horses and carriages. It was wonderful to be in the room where these horses perform, after seeing and reading about them for years. In fact, just being in Vienna – I sometimes can't believe it – we're in Vienna!!!! After watching the horses, we went for a long walk around the city, stopping for lunch at a Subway across the road from the State Opera House, a splendid building. Where could you have a better view eating a Subway roll??!!

We got the train to the Wiener Riesenrad – the giant ferris wheel which has been spinning around since 1897 when it was built to celebrate the Golden Jubilee of Emperor Franz Josef. The carriages are quite large, can hold up to 20 people. There were about eight in ours and we could walk around taking photos and admiring the view of Vienna. It was a very slow ride, giving you ample opportunity to take photos at different levels and we were at the top for about five minutes. It only went around once but it was more about the views than a “ride”. It is in a park something like Dreamworld or the Exhibition and there are plenty of other more “exciting” rides for those that like that sort of thing.

We got the subway train back to the station near the boat and had a look at the Jubilee Church, again in honour of the Emperor's Jubilee, but the church wasn't very exciting. We reboarded our boat and there were a number of new passengers and also crew, so new faces and names to remember.

30 June - Vienna, Austria

2008-08-24T17:24:00.006+10:00

We were awakened by thunder during the night and this morning the weather was foggy, overcast and raining – disappointing for our sailing through the Wachau Valley. The rain eased a little later in the morning enough for us to enjoy some of the features of this beautiful section of the Danube.

Our boat arrived in Tulln and after lunch we boarded buses to Vienna while the boat cruised there. We had a bus tour of the main sights in Vienna and then had a walking tour to see some more, including St Stephen's Cathedral which was magnificent. We then had some free time to look around. Vienna hosted the European Soccer championship final last night when Spain defeated Germany. The city is still dismantling all the temporary infrastructure involved with that, including kilometres of temporary fencing, so some streets were inaccessible. We walked to the beautiful Hofburg and enquired about the Spanish Riding School which we hope to see tomorrow. We stopped for sacher torte at the Demel cafe, which was delicious. We then went back to our bus which took us to a concert at the former army barracks which is now a museum. The small orchestra played pieces from Mozart and Strauss and others and we enjoyed that very much.

We returned to the boat and had dinner before retiring after a late night.

29 June - Linz, Austria

2008-08-23T19:55:00.002+10:00

It was a beautiful warm day. A lot of the passengers went on their day tour of Salzburg while we stayed on board. We caught up on our laundry and I attended a demonstration of cooking an apple strudel which we had for lunch. Later in the afternoon, we arrived in Linz and we went off on our own to explore. We stopped at an internet cafe to catch up on our emails and then looked at some of the lovely buildings, including cathedrals and the palace, currently being restored. Terry found where the world rowing championships are being held close by in a few weeks, but we didn't go there.

Tonight we had the Captain's farewell dinner as many of the passengers will be disembarking in Vienna. The time has gone so quickly, it is hard to believe. We had a lovely dinner with Jim and Bonnie Peacher, who are great company. I'm sorry they are leaving in Vienna. It was a very good night.

28 June - Regensburg, Germany

2008-08-23T13:29:00.007+10:00

We are now cruising on the Danube River after joining the river from the Main canal this morning. We had a quiet morning cruising then docking at Regensburg, before our usual delicious buffet lunch. After lunch we had a walking tour of Regensburg which is the oldest town in Germany, settled and built by the Romans over 1,000 years ago. The town had mixed fortunes over the centuries. During Roman times, it was a prosperous port town. The bridge built by the Romans that crosses the Danube is still in use, the oldest in Germany and much of the Roman wall around the city is still here. As the town fell on hard times in the Middle Ages, they could not afford to “modernise” so many of the old buildings remained, which is good for us today, now listed as world heritage by UNESCO.

We saw the beautiful St Peter’s Cathedral which took hundreds of years to complete, dependent on the fortunes of the city. When prosperous, the building continued, when not, the building came to a halt till it was finally completed in the 19th century. We looked at the market square and the old streets, now filled with lovely shops and cafes. We saw a cuckoo clock demonstration, showing us how the clocks are made – some are quite intricate and beautiful. We had a drink and some Bavarian sausages at possibly the world's first “fast food restaurant”, the historic Wurstkűche, which overlooks the river.

Back on board, we had a Bavarian Dinner Buffet which featured the usual sausages, sauerkraut and potatoes and was delicious. We returned to our rooms after dinner. Every night when we return to our cabin, our rooms have been serviced for the second time for the day. Our bed covers are turned down, our pillows fluffed up and a small chocolate greets us on our pillow. It is a nice touch.

27 June - Nuremberg, Germany

2008-08-22T16:51:00.004+10:00

We have been travelling through many locks during the night. After breakfast we boarded buses for Nuremberg. We had an excellent guide, John Jenkins, from Wales who has studied German history and gave us a lot of interesting information about present day Nuremberg and the “dark” history of its association with the Nazis in the 1930s and 1940s. We stopped at the “parade ground” where the Nazi rallies were held, holding up to 250,000 people. It was astounding to be there and see it. A huge “coliseum” like building was built by the Nazis but only partly completed and it stands now like a monument, which was amazingly not bombed during the war because it was a little out of town.

John then took us to the Palace of Justice where the Nuremberg trials of the Nazis were held. We sat in the actual courtroom while he told the story of the trial – fascinating.

Our bus dropped us at the Market square and the Beautiful Fountain and John told us more about that and the area generally. There were some wonderful stalls at the market, including one that sold delicious ginger bread. Terry had wanted a German beer stein so bought one. We watched a glockenspiel performance on the front of the church that faced the square. We really quite enjoyed Nuremberg.

Our bus returned us to the boat which was now docked at Roth. After lunch our boat reached the highest lock and the watershed where the water changes from flowing to the North Sea to flowing into the Black Sea. When we enter the locks now, we are lowered down quite deep (whereas before we were raised) before being let out – a fascinating process to watch.

So we've had another good day. The time is passing so quickly. The food is wonderful and plenty of it and very hard to resist. Already we are talking about the passengers that will leave us in Vienna, only a few days away.

26 June - Bamberg, Germany

2008-08-22T13:01:00.003+10:00

We had another lovely day cruising the Main River. In the morning, our cruise manager, Hans, gave us an informative talk about the history of architecture in Europe which explained the different styles of buildings, particularly in relation to the churches and cathedrals. He is very knowledgeable and imparts that knowledge in an interesting way.

About lunchtime, our boat arrived in Hassfurt and we boarded a coach to Bamberg where our local guide proudly showed us the important buildings of this city and told us of its history, which dates back to the Middle Ages. Bamberg was spared major bombardment during World War II, so many of its very early buildings remained intact. We spent 1 ½ hours on the guided walk and than had about two hours free time to explore the city ourselves. We found an internet cafe to check our emails then returned to the Rose Garden shown to us by our guide earlier. The garden overlooks the city and is now looking its best with many of the colourful blooms on display.

We boarded our coach for the return to our boat which was now docked in Bamberg. After dinner, with Jean and Ed from Florida, we had an interesting talk by Hans on the rise of Hitler as background to our tour of Nuremberg tomorrow.

25 June - Rothenburg, Germany

2008-08-22T08:35:00.002+10:00

We arrived in Karlstadt and after breakfast we got on a bus to Rothenburg about 1 ½ hours drive away passing through some lovely countryside. We spent most of the day there while a guide showed us the sights of this medieval town which still exists behind a fortress wall with towers at regular intervals just as it did in those times. It has people living in the town, so is not just a “museum”. There are shops and a beautiful town square. It is renowned for its shopping, particularly for its Käthe Wohlfahrt Christmas Museum which was a wonderland of Christmas “stuff” which was so plentiful it was difficult to make choices. We had lunch at a restaurant which had as its main course the local sausages with sauerkraut and mashed potatoes. It was delicious but too much to eat at lunchtime. We enjoyed some free time walking around, checking our emails at the internet cafe and then got back on the bus. There was a storm and got very dark as we headed back to our boat which was now moored at Wűrzburg. We got on board, beating the heavy rain and then I did some washing – some mundane things still have to be done on holidays.

We had a lovely dinner as we continued cruising down the tranquil Main River.

24 June - Miltenberg, Germany

2008-08-21T16:59:00.002+10:00

After breakfast we had a walking tour of Miltenberg, a lovely little town on the Main River dating back to the Middle Ages. We saw many quaint buildings, churches and the town square where “witches” were burnt. Our guide told us tales of the history of the area and the features on some of the buildings that date back to those times. For example, a wealthy couple lived in a fine house and the lady across the street was a gossip so they put a gargoyle on their building depicting their neighbour with very large ears. She had her revenge when the Inquisition came to town and she had them condemned as “witches”. Mainly only wealthy couples were so condemned and “essential” people like butchers and bakers were safe from condemnation. There was a lot of superstition surrounding the water quality which deteriorated in summer so a few “witches” were burned and as the weather cooled the water quality improved, proving their point that the burnings worked. Awful story!! The town was lovely to see and we had a couple of rain showers but still enjoyed our walk around.

We returned to the boat, relaxed for a while before lunch then I watched a glass blowing demonstration on board by Karl Ittig, a sixth generation glass blower living at Wertheim. He was great to watch and gave away his sample demonstrations to ladies that helped him. I bought a couple of pieces.

We continued to cruise along the Main River through various locks and beautiful scenery. This river is not as wide nor as busy as the Rhine, so more tranquil. We had dinner then enjoyed the Franconian Brass Band in the lounge, playing folk songs, polkas and waltzes. Another lovely day.

23 June - Mainz, Germany

2008-08-21T08:00:00.002+10:00

We stopped at Mainz this morning and after breakfast we did a walking tour of the city and visited the Gutenberg Museum, which was opened especially for us. Most German museums are normally closed on Mondays. We saw a demonstration of the method of printing that was invented and used by Gutenberg and the person who “helped” with the demonstration kept the printed result, which was a page from one of the first bibles. It was interesting to learn that Gutenberg only printed in black and when his copies were sold to people they added their own embellishments, so each Gutenberg bible is unique. We saw a couple of the original Gutenberg bibles of which there are very few left in the world.

We then visited the Mainz cathedral which is 1,000 years old – a magnificent structure with many beautiful features. We were fortunate to hear the organ playing.

We walked around for a while and stopped at an internet cafe to receive and send some emails – very cheap, only 80 Euro cents for 20 minutes. We made our way back to the boat which left at lunchtime for the Main River, which will allow us into the Danube River. There are a number of locks through which we will pass. We had a relaxing afternoon in our cabin and had dinner with Peach and Peaches (Jim and Bonnie), and met a new couple from Canada, Shirley and Al. We had an enjoyable evening of eating, drinking and conversation while watching the scenery go by.

22 June - Rudesheim, Germany

2008-08-20T13:23:00.006+10:00

We've had a really wonderful day cruising down the “Romantic Rhine” seeing all those wonderful castles and the Lorelei statue. It is a very busy river but there are no bridges or locks in this area of the Rhine. We passed many castles including Lahneck and Marksburg before we stopped at Boppard mid-morning to have a look at this little town, which was very lovely and geared up for the cruise tourists. We bought phone cards and rang our Mums but the cards didn't last very long. Back on board after exploring Boppard, we saw more castles while having a buffet lunch on the sun deck so we could enjoy the views on either side of the river. We saw the very large Rheinfels castle and the Lorelei rock then other castles including Gutenfels and Rheinstein before docking at Rudesheim. Near here is the Germania statue commemorating the unification of Germany in 1871.

We boarded a “train” that drove through the streets to Siegfried's Mechanical Musikkabinett, a museum dedicated to restoring and demonstrating mechanical musical instruments. The museum guide showed us this wonderful and very interesting collection of musical machines ranging from music boxes and pianolas to very sophisticated machines including one that had two sets of revolving violins – fascinating.

After the tour we walked around the town before stopping at a small pub for a drink. It was a hot day today, in the low 30s so a cold drink and a cool breeze was very inviting. We got back on board and had dinner with the New Zealand couple, Ian and Julie, who until a few months ago were running a motel in Christchurch. We had a good evening talking with them then back to sort out the 336 photos I took today. There were just so many wonderful sights to photograph!!!

21 June - Cologne, Germany

2008-08-19T13:37:00.006+10:00

We slept very well while the boat was cruising down the river. The ride is very smooth, you hardly know you're moving.We had our buffet breakfast and enjoyed watching the Rhine“traffic” go by. Our cabin has two large floor to ceiling windows from which we can enjoy the view.This is a very busy river with many cargo barges going up and down the river. I went to a very interesting German lesson with Hans, our cruise manager. He told us some background in German history and the origins of the language before going through a few basic phrases.

We had our buffet lunch with Tom and Pat, an elderly retired couple from Deception Bay. They were very interesting to talk to as they were former members of the Caboolture Shire Council and told of their experiences.

After lunch we joined a walking tour of Cologne which was very interesting. The sun had come out and was quite warm, so pleasant. Our guide took us to the Cologne Cathedral which was quite spectacular – every bit as wonderful as we had been told. It took 800 years to build and it is truly breathtaking in its magnificence. After the cathedral, our guide said goodbye and we explored on our own. We went to an internet cafe, taking our PC but it didn't work so we used their computer to send some emails – much cheaper at 1.00 Euro per half hour than the 0.30 Euro per minute on board the ship.

We walked a bit among the crowd and stopped for a drink at an outdoor cafe. I bought some chocolate at the Chocolate Museum shop, which we enjoyed. Then we had dinner on board and had a couple from the Japanese group seated with us. That was a bit difficult as they didn't speak English, but we did a lot of smiling, so was okay. We went up on deck after dinner to enjoy the evening – still sunshine at 9.30 pm!!!! Tomorrow we will go through the “castle alley”.

20 June - Amsterdam, Holland

2008-08-19T08:02:00.003+10:00

We were loaded on to buses for a tour of Amsterdam generally, on our way to see the Rijksmuseum (National Gallery) where some of the most famous Dutch paintings are housed. Among others, we saw paintings by Johannes Vermeer, Frans Hals, Jan Steen, and most notable of all – Rembrandt Harmensz Van Rijn (Rembrandt). We saw Rembrandt's very large and probably most famous work, The Night Watch, which was awesome. Everything we saw was quite wonderful and we could have spent more time there. Our bus took us back to the boat with our guide pointing out interesting buildings and facts about Amsterdam as we went. This is a city of bicycles as I've said before and they all seem to be quite old. Our guide told us that they are stolen regularly, sort of unofficial “swapping” and they remove between 28,000 and 32,000 bicycles annually from the canals!!!! It was good to learn more about Amsterdam.

Our boat left Amsterdam shortly after 12.30 pm and moved down to the Rhine. The ride is very smooth. So far we've passed through two of the 66 locks we will pass through between Amsterdam and Vienna. This evening was “dress-up” for the official Captain's welcome, introduction to the crew, and the Captain's Dinner – a five course meal! Tonight we will pass into Germany before docking at Cologne about lunch time.

19 June - Amsterdam, Holland

2008-08-18T14:24:00.004+10:00

This morning was cold and miserable with rain, but we went on a canal cruise anyway. It was still interesting and pleasant as the rain held off for most of the way as we cruised around the canals for about 75 minutes. We saw lots of interesting buildings and bridges that criss-cross the city of Amsterdam. There were lots of house boats with many different styles. Our boat guide (recorded English voice) told us there were about 2500 legal houseboats on the canals. We passed the cruise boat terminals and saw our boat, the “River Duchess” berthed.

When our canal cruise finished, we walked through the cold and the rain to go to the Van Gogh Museum which was very good apart from all the people there. It was quite crowded at times and not always easy to see the paintings.

We returned to the hotel to get our bags and contact the cruise boat and learned it was okay to go on board so we got a taxi to the boat. We were welcomed on board and taken to our cabin which is very nice. We unpacked our bags and settled in. Everything is very nice. We did some laundry and had afternoon tea in the lounge. We had a briefing by the Captain and Hotel Manager on how it all works etc. and then we had dinner, sitting with a couple from Idaho – Peach and Peaches who were about our age, thankfully. We're one of the youngest couples on board, I think. We finished dinner and had a look on the sun deck before retiring to our “state room”.

18 June - Amsterdam, Holland

2008-08-18T09:43:00.004+10:00

We arrived in Amsterdam after a 7 hour train ride from Berlin. We had no trouble finding the 1st class carriage at the Berlin Haptbahnhof as there is a diagram on the platform showing the direction of the train and which part of the platform each carriage will stop – so easy – German efficiency!! It was a pleasant ride through the German countryside, though some towns were “protected” by sound barriers so you couldn't see them well. Finally we crossed the Dutch border, and the train announcer changed, but we still got announcements in English. Our train was running late and we had to change trains to get to central Amsterdam.

The railway station was quite chaotic and we had some trouble finding the Travel Info so we could get a map and directions to our hotel. It is a pedestrian's nightmare, bikes, motor scooters, trams going everywhere. The Travel info people suggested we get a tram to our hotel as it was too far to walk, but we couldn't get on with our big bags, so we got a taxi to our hotel, Apollo Museum Hotel. Our room here would be the smallest we've been in since our travels began. It's almost laughably tiny, hardly any room to even open our suitcases. Thank goodness we're only here one night.

We had a rest and then went out for a walk to see the sights. There is so much activity on the “footpath” with people, cars, bikes, trams everywhere, I felt very uncomfortable and unsafe as you are constantly looking out for the unexpected. We saw the Palace and walked over a few canal bridges, had dinner and returned to our “cell”.

17 June - Berlin, Germany

2008-08-16T16:57:00.004+10:00

We went to see the World Sandcastle Competition which was quite spectacular. There were 12 exhibits, each about 6 metres high and the detail in the work was amazing. There were some depicting classical Greek scenes, a couple of abstracts, a Merlin, and many others. There was also an area for children to play and build their own sandcastle. The whole place was set up like a beach with umbrellas and beach chairs.

We went for a walk to see the “New” Jewish Synagogue which was virtually destroyed during the War and now partially rebuilt as a memorial/museum. Security was very tight there, going in and coming out, but it was interesting to see.

After lunch we had a walk through Museum Island and walked around the Berlin Cathedral and on to the German History Museum where we spent a couple of hours working our way through the different eras of German history – very comprehensive. Very tired and back to the hotel.

16 June - Berlin, Germany

2008-08-16T13:49:00.004+10:00

We had a really wonderful day exploring the sights and history of Berlin with a 5 hour walking with a young American guide, Jim, who has two degrees specialising in German history. His enthusiasm for his subject was well conveyed to the tour participants and he made his tour so interesting with his knowledgeable insights. We enjoyed the tour very much and learned so much as well as Jim was a very entertaining guide.

He started off with a summary of German history so he could put in context the sights he was to show us. We looked at the lovely old buildings of Museum Island, where the Hohenzollerns, the dominant ruling family in earlier centuries, once had their palace before it was destroyed by the war. The exterior of many of these buildings remained largely intact while fire and bombs destroyed the interiors.

We went down into the Unter den Linden train station, “ghost station” through which trains passed from one part of the western sector to the other. The station was blocked off during communist times to prevent East Berliners from entering and escaping to the west. The trains travelled through this area at 10 mph so the East Berliners above could not hear them – bizarre. Therefore when communism fell, the blockades were removed and a perfectly preserved pre-war station is now seen and used.

We saw the site of the “bookburning” in 1933 outside the Humboldt University, where 20,000 books were burned. They have an interesting memorial to this – a glass cover on the ground, with a library beneath with empty shelves. Many prominent scholars studied at Humboldt University including Albert Einstein.

We passed by the Russian Embassy and arrived at the iconic Brandenburg Gate, which looked magnificent. During communist times, it was in the “death zone” or “no man's land” and you would be shot for being there. Now it is abuzz with tourists and activity. We continued on to the site of the Berlin Wall on the other side of the Gate and to a remnant of the wall left for tourists to see. It is ironic that now this remaining part of the wall is protected by an outer fence to prevent souvenir hunters taking pieces of it. We saw the site of Checkpoint Charlie which has been “recreated” for tourists.

We walked through the Jewish Holocaust Memorial, which is an abstract art piece covering several hectares, comprising about 1200 different size stone blocks. It was quite controversial when first put in.

We were taken to the site of Hitler's bunker. In the 1980s the communists built several large “luxury” apartment blocks and could not get rid of the bunker – it was so well built. So they did as much damage as possible without being able to remove it entirely and covered it with a car park.

An interesting legacy from the communist past is the WALK/DON'T WALK lights. Jim told us that in the 1990s when one of the lights needed replacing, the new German government wanted to bring in the common icons used everywhere else around the world. However, the former East Berliners protested and insisted on keeping their “traffic man” on their pedestrian lights and they prevailed. They are quite distinctive and interesting, not like our “common” traffic man. The DON'T WALK has the “traffic man” with his arms straight out, hat on, and the WALK “traffic man” wears his hat as he strides out. The souvenir shops sell T-shirts with the East Berlin “traffic man”.

When our tour ended, which was the best guided tour we've been on, we walked back to the Reichstag which Jim had told us was worth having a closer look at. It is now the house of the German parliament, Bundestag, and was restored and had a glass dome added, which is very popular with tourists. We queued for 45 mins to get in and it was worth the security check and the wait. The flat sloping walk spirals to the top for magnificent views of Berlin.

We walked back to our hotel and had another huge and delicious meal at the Kartoffel Kellar nearby.

15 June - Berlin, Germany

2008-08-12T20:01:00.004+10:00

We were up early to catch the train to Berlin. Unfortunately we got on the wrong carriage, the 1st class carriage behind the engine. About half hour into our journey the ticket man told us we had to move through six carriages to the 1st class at the end of the train as the one we were in was not going to Berlin. Oh, the joys of train travel in Europe!!!! Anyway, we finally settled in our new carriage for the six hour journey to Berlin, crossing the Poland/Germany border about midday. The countryside looked little different on this side of the border, except for German names and the German flag now flying on some cars for the European Soccer.

We arrived in Berlin at the Hauptbahnhof (their major central rail station), which is basically a five level shopping centre that has trains going through it. Terry reserved our seats for the journey to Amsterdam on Wednesday and went to Information for a map to find our hotel. It was a long walk through the streets but we finally arrived at the Best Western, Berlin Mitte Hotel which is in the old Eastern side of the Berlin Wall, and central to most of the important sites. After the long walk (getting cab back to the station on Wednesday!!!) we had a rest and were then woken by a violent thunder storm – thought we were back home! It cleared after a while and we went for a walk to have dinner at a German restaurant, which was very nice and very filling. Fortunately, we plan to do a lot of walking tomorrow to see the Berlin sights.

14 June - Warsaw, Poland

2008-08-12T13:59:00.003+10:00

We did more walking today. We went to see the Warsaw Uprising Museum which was quite special. We spent about 3 ½ hours there. The exhibits were well laid out and varied and made the experience a most interesting learning experience about this period of Poland's history. It covered the invasion of Poland and the Uprising and then the aftermath as the Soviets took over the country. There were many audio-visual displays, artefacts, movies, oral history interviews on movies as well as audio. Poland was left to fight the Germans alone towards the end of the war with little help from the West and Russia stood by and waited to pick up the pieces – a tragic story for Poland. The museum opened in 2004. It could not have been established until the fall of communism as the truth was not taught. According to the Russians, they saved Poland. This was a very worthwhile visit not just from the historical perspective but also to see a modern museum offering such a variety of ways to see the history.

We then walked to the “old town” past the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, guarded by two modern day soldiers. We walked through the old town, looking at monuments, buildings and churches and the lovely streetscapes.

13 June - Warsaw, Poland

2008-08-12T11:06:00.013+10:00

Poland drew 1-1 with Austria, so still some hope for Poland I think. The day started cool and overcast but warmed up by lunchtime. We did a lot of walking today. We're not game to tackle Polish public transport without a guide so we walked. Terry is wishing we'd brought a pedometer to see how many kilometres we've clocked up in walking since we began our holiday.

This morning we walked down one of the main streets and looked at parks, buildings and monuments. Many of the beautiful “old” buildings have been reconstructed in the 1950s after being totally destroyed during the war. We visited the Pawiak prison, now a museum, which has a terrible history of occupation during the war. Many of the people contained there died in concentration camps. The small cells, built for three people sometimes had up to 15 prisoners and they all suffered terribly. It was a very moving museum. We saw memorials to the Jews transported to camps and a memorial statue commemorating the Warsaw Uprising which happened towards the end of the war.

We then walked back through the “old town” with its many beautiful buildings and churches – most of which have been rebuilt or restored to their pre-War glory. In the large square in that area, a travelling exhibition of “friendly” bears from all nations is being shown. The bears are about six feet high and painted by one of the nation's artists. For example, the Australian bear was painted by Ken Done. The exhibition covered a large area and we enjoyed the colourful variety. There is a lot of new construction work going on here too. There are a lot of “street vendors” selling everything – flowers, strawberries, clothes, jewellery. Also many people handing out leaflets on many things, for example, English lessons. And there are beggars, who look really “down and out”. There is often one at the entrance to churches.

Anyway, we had an interesting day and we'll see more tomorrow.

12 June - Warsaw, Poland

2008-08-12T08:45:00.002+10:00

A very sad day as we left in the morning. Uncle Eddie came for breakfast again and Stella ensured we were filled up for our train journey. She also gave us bread rolls, cake and drink for our 4½ hour journey to Warsaw. Zbyszek drove Stella, Uncle Eddie, Terry and I to the station and then he went back to work. Stella and Uncle Eddie waited with us for the train and it was a very sad parting. Our visit was better than I could have dreamed.

Our train seemed to take a more direct route to Warsaw than we had done on Saturday and we arrived in Warsaw about 2 o'clock. While I waited with our bags, Terry queued to reserve our tickets to Berlin on Sunday. We finally arrived at our hotel, Novotel, and relaxed a bit before going for a short walk and having dinner at a local restaurant. We sat by a window and watched the passers by, many of whom were dressed in Polish red and white as Poland plays Austria tonight in the European Cup and there is hope that they will win this time. There was much excitement in the streets.

11 June - Cedry Wielkie

2008-08-11T19:58:00.003+10:00

Uncle Eddie had stayed the night next-door at Witek's house, so he came over for breakfast. He, Stella, Terry and I got bus to Gdansk, then train to Sopot which is by the sea. There is a lot of new construction work going on, hotels, apartments, tourist shops. Sopot beaches are very popular and its pier is the largest construction of this type in Europe, total length 511.5 metres. It was a lovely walk on the pier, looking back to the shore where many beautiful buildings can be seen, including the Grand Hotel, which before the War was the most elegant and expensive place in Sopot, as tourists came to “take the waters”, in mineral baths.

We then caught a bus to Oliwa, the “most beautiful district” of Gdansk, dating back to the 12th century. The Cistercian monks cultivated the area, building a dam and several buildings, including Abbott's Pallace, now a museum, and a beautiful park. The Oliwa cathedral is quite spectacular with its lovely chapels and altars and artwork. Its most precious treasure is its organ which has 7876 pipes and 110 “voices” which can imitate the flute, clarinet, violin, voices, rippling wind, animal voices and many others.

We then caught a tram back to the main part of Gdansk, which was an interesting insight into Polish peak hour. The tram was jam-packed and we were fortunate to have a seat (hard uncomfortable, but still a seat). Zbyszek came to pick us up to take us home via the cemetery so I could visit the graves of my grandparents and various uncles and aunts. The cemetery is beautiful and very well-kept.

At home, Malgorzata had made dinner next door so we had a lovely final dinner of delectable Polish foods, in Cedry with all the family – Uncle Eddie, Zbyszek, Stella, Witek and Malgorzata.

10 June - Cedry Wielkie, Poland

2008-08-11T14:53:00.001+10:00

We had a nice quiet day, due to my ankle injury. Terry had a good rest. I spent most of the day talking with Stella. She works hard all day in the kitchen preparing meals for the family. Later in the afternoon, Stella's elder daughter, Marzena and her fiance, Peter, arrived to meet us. They are getting married in July. Also my Uncle Eddie arrived from Sopot and it was wonderful to finally meet him too. He is the last of my father's 10 other siblings and the youngest at 78. We all stayed up late.

9 June - Cedry Wielkie

2008-08-11T09:08:00.002+10:00

Disaster!! Poland lost to Germany 2-0, and the goals were kicked by a player named Podolwski! Stella said Zbyszek very quiet after the loss and took the Polish flag off his car.

Mid-morning Stella took us on the bus to Gdansk, which was a good “local” experience. We went to Gdansk rail station and Stella helped us book our train to Warsaw on Thursday. Then we walked to the Solidarity monument commemorating the shipyard uprising.

We then walked through the old town, visiting several significant landmarks including St Bridget's church, the Church of St Nicholas with its beautiful gilded baroque and rococo decorations, St Mary's Basilica – the largest brick shrine in the world, magnificent, Grand Mill, Dlugi Street (Long Street) with its many 14th century buildings. Gdansk is the “city of gates” and there are many beautiful old gateways. We walked along the docks where there are many old portside buildings including Gdansk's “landmark”, the 15th century Great Crane (Zuraw) in Szeroka Street. We walked up one of the most beautiful streets, Mariacka Street. This whole area is very popular with tourists.

All these wonderful sights, and I'm taking lots photos and not paying attention to where I'm walking and stumbled badly, seriously spraining my left ankle. Later Zbyszek came to pick us up to take us home.

After a short rest I went for a walk with Stella around Cedry and Stella pointed out the houses in which my Aunts and Uncles used to live, all in the same street. We said hello to Witek who was working with his son, Jakub, on Jakub's car. I hadn't met Jakub before, so took photos. We met up with the girls along the way, Stella's Natalia, and Witek's Marta (Jakub's twin) and Katarzyna. I hadn't taken a photo of Marta before so took some. We walked along past the local church (recently restored) and the house in which Stella and Witek were born. It was a lovely walk and good to see Cedry but did not help my sprained ankle. Terry suggested we should rest tomorrow to help it heal.

8 June - Cedry Wielkie, Poland

2008-08-10T14:12:00.012+10:00

After breakfast, Witek and Malgorzata drove Stella, Terry and me to Govidlino (my father's birthplace). It was a pleasant Sunday drive of about one hour through the Polish countryside. There was a lot of traffic and we passed markets and villages, including Tochlino where Stella and Witek's father, Bruno, was born. Govidlino is a lovely little village on a lake which attracts tourists for sunning themselves beside the water and picknicking. We looked at the local church and the cemetery.

We returned through Gdansk and looked at the Baltic Sea which had many sunbathers, but there is no surf. Then we went to Westerplatte where the Germans first invaded Poland at the start of World War II. It is now a memorial park with the remains of the bombed out fort included and it is right on the water. There is a very large memorial statue and the area attracts a lot of sightseers.

We returned home after an enjoyable and interesting day. In this part of Poland there is a lot of building and renovation going on and seems to be a lot more pride here than I found in the south, near the border. I suppose it has to do with how much money is in the area.

We had dinner and Terry watched the soccer with Zbygniew (Zbyszek), Germany vs. Poland but it was late so we went to bed at half time when Germany was leading 1-0.

7 June - Cedry Wielkie, Poland

2008-08-10T11:30:00.005+10:00

We were up early to catch train to Gdansk. Got on the train (not air-conditioned) and moved through the Polish countryside. The big towns and cities are not impressive. There is a lot of graffiti and run-down buildings. A lot of the railway stations are not well-kept, grass growing out of the platforms. The countryside with the farms are quite pretty. I was surprised to see poppies growing wild in many places, even on the train tracks.

Before we got to Bydgoszcz we were told to change carriages as the one we were in was no longer going to Gdansk. There had been some announcements, but of course, in Polish. So we changed carriages and when we arrived at Bydgoszcz there were delays as the train was shunting and changing carriages. We looked at our map to see where we were in relation to Gdansk and could see we had a very long way to go and it was already 1310 and our train was due in Gdansk at 1329. When a new conductor came to check our tickets (no English) I asked what time the train was now due in Gdansk. He wrote down 1555!!! There was nothing we could do. The train travelled at a very slow speed for most of the remainder of the journey, only speeding up as we approached Gdansk. When we arrived, there was no one waiting on the platform for us. Terry bought a phone card and we tried to ring my cousin, Stella who was going to meet us, but it wouldn't work. I was in a panicked state by this time. Fortunately, a man was closing his small shop nearby and I looked at him helplessly asking if he spoke any English and if he could help us use the phone. He tried but could not get it to work and then very kindly used his mobile to ring Stella for us. She and Zbygniew came and picked us up about 20 mins later. They had been to the station twice and asked what had happened to our train but could not get any information. We were lucky they had just arrived home from the station again when we rang.

So now we are in the village of Cedry Wielkie where Stella lives. Her twins, Max and Natalia, aged 17, live here too and her older daughter, Marzena lives in Sopot. Next door lives Stella's brother, Witek and his wife Malgorzata and their twins Jakub and Marta, aged 18, and their other daughter, Katarzyna, aged 16. It was wonderful to meet Stella after all these years. Her English is quite good so we are able to communicate. Her husband is very keen on the European Soccer starting today. Tomorrow is a big game – Poland vs. Germany.

We had dinner with Stella, Zbygniew, and Max and Witek and Malgorzata joined us later for dessert. I took lots of photos and we had a good evening.

6 June - Warsaw, Poland

2008-08-10T10:14:00.004+10:00

This morning we left Prague for Warsaw. The walk to station was okay and we got good seats on the train. We had to change trains at Bohumin where we had a six person compartment to ourselves until we got to Katowice then another five people tried to get in. One guy was in first, “reserved” his seat with his bag and went into corridor to make a phone call – big mistake. Someone took his seat and he spent the next three hours standing in the corridor. Our compartment was then pretty crowded and we had inside seats for the rest of the long journey. Finally got to Warsaw at 5.00 pm and then Terry waited for 50 mins in a queue to book our train for tomorrow. We checked into our hotel, Novotel, on the 22nd floor, great views. Had a short walk and then had dinner in the hotel restaurant.

5 June - Prague, Czech Republic

2008-08-10T09:23:00.002+10:00

We've just returned from a lovely day looking at Cesky Krumlov, about 2 hours drive south of Prague. As we were leaving Brisbane, I decided I needed to buy a travel hairdryer (which I haven't had to use yet). We got chatting to the shop assistant who asked us where we were going etc. and she said “you must see Cesky Krumlov”. So when we checked in to our hotel here in Prague and looking through the tours available, Terry recognised the name.

Cesky Krumlov is a charming little town dating back to the 14th century and is UNESCO heritage listed. The tour of the castle was particularly good and featured the different time periods of occupation by its residents, including original (and very valuable) furniture and fittings. The views, church, all the quaint old streets was so interesting. We had a “medieval” lunch at a tavern where they cooked the meat in full view on an open fire.

On the way to the town we passed a uranium mine which served the Communists as a source of uranium for USSR, power plants for Czechoslovakia, and a prison for dissidents.

It was a long day, but very worthwhile. Tomorrow we battle the train stations again as we head for Warsaw.

4 June - Prague, Czech Republic

2008-08-09T15:59:00.002+10:00

The weather was not kind to us today. It was a cool 21 deg C and raining, but we enjoyed ourselves anyway. Our tour bus picked us up at the hotel at 9.45 and took us through Prague city pointing out significant landmarks. Our guide, Peter, took some getting used to. He spoke in a very slow manner, but he was very pleasant and helpful. On our tour he was also taking the Italian participants. He said he also takes German and French tourists at times. He likes practising his language skills. We went up the hill to Prague Castle and St Vitus Cathedral. We looked inside the beautiful cathedral adorned with stained glass windows, gold and silver. It is one of the largest Gothic cathedrals in Europe. The bus took us back to the city and to a cruise on the Vltava River, passing slowly by historical buildings and under bridges including the “well-known” Charles Bridge. After we left the boat, we had a walking tour through the Old Town Square. There the tour ended and we went for a walk to the Charles Bridge which is pedestrian only and full of stalls targeting tourists. The rain held off at times so wasn't too bad but not good for taking photographs of the beautiful colourful buildings.

We came back to our hotel for a rest before walking down to the train station to book our seats for Warsaw on Friday. Took a long time standing in the queue waiting to be served. We then walked to another part of town we hadn't seen before and back to our hotel. Everywhere you look there is another beautiful building.

We finished the day with dinner at an open air cafe in Old Town Square overlooking historic churches and enjoying the “passing parade” while we ate “traditional” Czech food with a bottle of Czech wine. A lovely romantic way to spend an evening.

3 June - Prague, Czech Republic

2008-08-09T11:12:00.000+10:00

We were up early to get to Munich station for train to Prague leaving at 8.44 am. We found only half of one carriage was 1^st class so we shared a compartment with a young and very interesting Munich woman who is in the field of cancer research. She left the train at Regensberg and a Hamburg businessman, Peter, then joined us. He works for Shell and we had interesting conversations about the German economy and globalisation. He has travelled often to Prague and was a great help to us when the conductor tried to tell us that the train was no longer going to Prague, due to track maintenance somewhere in the Czech Republic. We had to change trains, which is always a struggle with our luggage. The new train and in particular, 1^st class, was of a much lower standard than that to which we have become accustomed. But it was a comfortable ride.

I was surprised when I went to the WC on the previous train, out of Munich, that it was in such a disgusting condition. The toilet paper looked like it had been dropped in muddy water. So I used the roll of toilet paper I had in my day pack. Terry had thought I was going over the top taking a roll of toilet paper, as most of the travel lists said you should, but he thought that was just for backpackers. Anyway, I'm glad I had it.

When we were on the second train in Czech Republic, there was no dining car and a 1 ½ hour delay so we didn't get in to Prague till about 4.30, having not eaten since breakfast. We met up with an American family, Paul, Lorraine and son Alex, whom we discovered were going to the same hotel. So Terry with his map led the way. After making one wrong turn, we finally arrived here at the Hotel Meteor Plaza which building dates back to 1307 – amazing to be staying in a 700 year old building, but the rooms are fitted out well with all mod cons.

After something to eat and a short rest, we went out exploring discovering one wonderful old building after another. We had a small meal of goulash with dumplings and made our way back to the hotel. The beautiful square nearby was wonderful – especially since there weren't the hordes of bicycle riders there have been in the previous cities we've visited. We've booked tours for the next couple of days, so hopefully if we get sunny weather, it will be good.

2 June - Munich, Germany

2008-08-09T10:03:00.000+10:00

We left Salzburg this morning after a lovely breakfast of muesli, nuts and fruit. Got to the station and met a nice American woman also waiting for the train. We chatted about our respective experiences and she took our photograph for us. She is brave to be travelling alone.

We miscalculated boarding the train, not seeing the 1^st class carriages so were forced to get on 2^nd class and walk through several carriages which was very unpleasant dragging our heavy bags through some tight spaces. Finally got to 1^st class and found space to deposit our exhausted and sweaty selves and our bags. That's a trap, not knowing where 1^st class is going to stop on train. On the previous train, it was at the back, and on ours it was at the front.

Arrived in Munich station and Terry said he needed to make a bodily fluid deposit in an appropriate receptacle (WC), so I minded the bags while he went looking. He found a WC staffed by a not unattractive woman aged between 30 and 40 who queried the nature of his deposit, gesturing to the front and back of his body. When he responded to the front in the affirmative she directed him to a circular group of wall-mounted urinals which could be seen by all – the staff woman and women passing by to their own receptacle. He was able to make his deposit fairly discreetly. The WC was in excellent clean though Terry doesn't know how much he paid – just held out his hand with change for her to take. A deposit from the back would have cost more. Anyway he found it an interesting an amusing experience which will likely be repeated as we travel further.

We then dragged our bags to our hotel, The Atrium, along uneven footpaths. It was a struggle. We arrived exhausted at our hotel and after a light lunch, we rested before exploring inner Munich. We saw Marionplatz and watched the show when the clock struck 5. It was very beautiful and there were other lovely old buildings and churches. Munich this year celebrates its 850^th birthday, so there is a lot of history here.

Again I'm struck about the number of bicycles here – it’s incredible. They seem to be able to ride almost anywhere so, as a pedestrian, you have to be careful. I saw a rider almost knock down a child riding a scooter.

We had a drink at the Hofbrau House. Terry had a large stein of beer and I had mineral water (mit gas!) It was very nice and brought back memories for Terry of his last visit here 30 years ago. We walked around a bit more and had something to eat before returning to our hotel.

1 June - Salzburg, Austria

2008-08-08T16:31:00.000+10:00

First day of summer here and it was just like a Brisbane spring, very warm and sunny, I'm guessing about 28 deg C. We had a lovely breakfast at the hotel and then got bus to Hellbrunn Palace where they have the delightful “trick fountains”. Our tour guide was amusing telling us about this 400 hundred year old palace that once belonged to a bishop who amused himself by making his guests very uncomfortable. The chairs had holes in them and the bishop would turn on the water soaking his guests where they sat and they couldn't get up. Other water features were marvelous as well. We got a little wet at times as the guide turned on some of the fountains. I think he got the same amusement as the bishop once did. We didn't mind. It was fun and cooled us down on this hot day.

We got the bus back to town and went to the Hohensalzburg Fortress which towers over Salzburg. The views from there are fantastic. The fortress was never conquered in battle but given over to Napoleon when he came through. We then looked at the Mozart museum which is located in the building in which he was born - interesting.

We had a delicious dinner in the hotel restaurant and then attended to mundane things like washing some clothes.

Something that has really struck me is the way the local people seem to take their dogs everywhere. Today on our tour of Hellbrunn someone had brought his dog along. When you walk the streets here people are taking their dogs with them, not just small dogs, big ones too. You see lots of suspicious looking stains on the footpath and even some puddles (but not worse than that yet). Some shops even have a small rail outside with a sign (in German) “tie up your dogs here”. Very different.

31 May - Salzburg, Austria

2008-08-08T14:00:00.000+10:00

Today we left Chur and got the train to Salzburg. On the way we passed through Innsbruck and “Sound of Music” country and it was very beautiful with snow capped peak and green fields. We're staying two nights here at StieglBrau Hotel which is really lovely. This afternoon/evening we walked around the old town and saw Mozart everywhere!! We went to the Salzburg Castle where we had a view of the city. Back to our hotel and we had a delicious room service dinner with one of the lovely bottles Waldemar gave us as a parting gift. The problem is that with the daylight saving here, it is still light very late and I'm getting tired – especially after a couple of glasses of red!! Tomorrow we'll explore more of Salzburg.

30 May - Chur, Switzerland

2008-08-08T11:01:00.000+10:00

We had another glorious scenic train ride through the Swiss Alps which climbed from Chur at 584 metres above sea level to its greatest height at Ospizio Bernina where we reached 2253 metres above sea level. I think this ride, the Bernina Express, was more picturesque then the Glacier Express of yesterday. We were right amongst the ice and snow near the tops of the mountains and our commentary reminded us constantly of the marvel of engineering that had the Swiss build this railway.

When we crossed the border into Italy, we stopped at Tirano for lunch. The weather was miserable, cold and rainy and we sought shelter in a small pub. The whole streets' shop windows were decorated with cycling paraphernalia for the Italian cycle tour. So for the Italians there is not only the soccer, there is cycling as well. There were men in the pub watching it on TV. The train took us back to Chur and we had another lovely dinner in our hotel restaurant

29 May - Chur, Switzerland

2008-08-07T16:53:00.000+10:00

We are staying at Chur, at the Hotel Chur tonight, after spending the day looking at spectacular Alpine scenery on the Glacier Express. So many mountains, villages, gorges, snow capped peaks – just glorious. The weather started off poorly with rain and looking miserable – terrible for photos, but eventually cleared to see the scenery better. Chur is the oldest town in Switzerland, established 5,000 years ago. We had a walk around old town and then had dinner in the hotel restaurant. I ordered a meal of pork sausages with onion sauce, salad and chips. They bring you the salad separately to be eaten before the rest – strange. Also in the restaurant there was a group of older people meeting for dinner. One lady came with her small dog and had it sitting on her lap. Others would take turns holding it. I couldn't believe it – where is the hygiene!!!

28 May - Zermatt, Switzerland

2008-08-07T15:57:00.000+10:00

This morning we left Geneva and I was glad to go – a very bustling busy city, too many people, cars, bikes, buses, trams etc. It was a nightmare for pedestrians. Terry is very sick with suspected food poisoning – shouldn't have had that seafood pizza. It is not often Terry completely loses his appetite but this has laid him low. We got train to Zermatt, which was a pleasant almost four hour trip with some lovely countryside scenery on the way. There were not so many cows today, a lot of vineyards with the vines grown up the steep mountainsides on terraces. We can see the Alps but the weather is not “picture postcard”. We're staying at Zermatt in the Swiss Alps at the Walliserhof Hotel, which is really lovely – much better than the hotel in Geneva and about half the price.

When we arrived at the hotel, Terry rested while I walked around. It is a pretty little village in the mountains. There are no cars here, only small trolley like vehicles, like covered golf buggies, but you still have to watch your step with them. We are close to the Matterhorn which should be seen but the weather is not kind to sightseers at the moment. Tomorrow we go on sightseeing train tour so hope weather improves.

27 May - Lucerne and Geneva, Switzerland

2008-08-07T13:43:00.000+10:00

This morning we got train from Zurich to Lucerne, a 50 minute train ride, 1st class with our Eurail pass, very comfortable and a very smooth ride. The scenery was very good but spoiled a little by cloudy, smoggy conditions. We had a walk around Lucerne old city after leaving our heavy bags at the station. I've found it a bit scary being a pedestrian in Switzerland. People ride bikes everywhere (without helmets) and trams and trolley buses also share the same area. In some very quiet streets, cars sneak up on you too. You have to be really careful. We then got the train from Lucerne to Geneva, a three hour train ride. We saw lots of beautiful dairy country, lots of cows and green pastures. Sort of like Maleny and Montville only thousand times over.

Tonight we're staying at Hotel Cornavin in Geneva. We hadn't booked and went to the Tourist office to be told Geneva was booked out. But when we said 5 star was acceptable (better than park bench) a room was found, very convenient and across road from railway station. We're on 9th floor with lovely views though the room is small. Terry's having a rest while I tap away here before we look for somewhere to eat. The restaurant at this hotel would be expensive. From our window we can see the Hotel Savoy and Hotel Astoria across the road. I suppose they might have vacant rooms too????

Terry is doing a great job as “tour director” dealing with all the detail, paperwork etc., acting as guide and navigator as we walk around. It's wonderful travelling with him. I just go crazy taking photos.

The wireless connection for this 5 star hotel doesn't support the Linux operating system my computer uses. So we had to find an internet cafe to send a couple of short emails and book accommodation for the next couple of days. We went out for pizza at a little restaurant. This is definitely not a “pedestrian friendly” place. It's also amazing to see people walking around with dogs in the city. We had an interesting walk around the “old” city, seeing churches and the first United Nations Building. It stays light till late here, daylight saving, so people are out and about with the sun still shining at 8.00 pm and still light at 9.00 pm (past our bedtime!!!)

26 May - Zurich, Switzerland

2008-08-06T16:55:00.001+10:00

We got up early to say goodbye to Nick as he was returning to school after two weeks holiday. Then we packed up our things. Roma gave us food and drink to take with us and Waldemar drove us to Zürich, mainly on the autobahn driving up to 170 kph. It was a very painful parting – we've become so close even in such a short time. We booked into a hotel here in Zürich and then went for a walk around the old town. There are any churches and old buildings. Many of the buildings are now trendy cafes and restaurants, designer clothes and antiques. The European Soccer championships start here soon and the place has gone soccer mad. We had dinner at a small restaurant nearby, watching the “passing parade”. Here they have ash trays on the tables and people of course smoke there. Yuk!

25 May - Engen, Germany

2008-08-06T16:19:00.000+10:00

Waldemar and I went for a walk up the hill from his place for a panoramic view of Engen which was beautiful. Later Christoph and his girlfriend, Simone, took us, with Nick to Lake Constance and we got the ferry across to Meersburg. From there we could see the Alps as the weather improved. We looked at the town, markets and then an even older Meersburg Castle, built in the Eighth century. A family still lives in part of it and they maintain the building through tourism. It was awful to see some parts of it and see how people were treated in the Middle Ages. It had its own torture room and a very gruesome means of killing people, that really freaked me out!

When we returned home, we had another delicious dinner prepared by Roma. Then Waldemar's brother, Mirek and his wife Edeltraut, came to see us. The family resemblance with me, Waldemar and Mirek is very striking and it was wonderful to meet another cousin. We stayed up late talking.

24 May - Engen, Germany

2008-08-05T11:04:00.000+10:00

Waldemar and son, Nick, took us to the Hohenzollern Castle at Sigmaringen. It was built between 1200 and 1250 – very impressive and well-kept. It has a long and colourful history and has spectacular views from the top. We looked at Bodensee on the way back, and another lovely town, Radolfzel, on this water.

On our way back from Bodensee we stopped at a small local lake, Aachquelle, which is fed from the Danube, underground. We saw people there scuba diving and they had been swimming, under water to see the grottoes underneath for several kilometers – mad!!

23 May - Engen, Germany

2008-08-05T09:43:00.000+10:00

Waldemar took us to look at Engen's “old city”. The beautiful church was built between 1200 and 1250. Most of this historic area dates from that time.

Then we went to a ruined castle on top of a mountain close by called Hohentwiel. It is a “national park” and a steep walk to the top. It has magnificent views of the surrounding area. The castle was largely destroyed by Napoleon when he came through. Some battles were fought in the area. The castle was given up to him without a fight but he destroyed it anyway.

After lunch we went to see the Rheinfall – a spectacular waterfall/rapids on the Rhine River in Switzerland. The power of the water was unbelievable and you can get very close to the falls. It was just wonderful. I doubt my many photos will do it justice.

22 May - Engen, Germany

2008-08-04T13:20:00.000+10:00

21 May – we left Brisbane flying with Emirates. We flew to Singapore for refuelling stopover. We chose to remain on the plane. There was a very nice German girl, Iffie, in seat one away from me, who lived in Brisbane. She is visiting her family in Germany. More passengers came on board and a young Ghanaian man sat in the empty seat between me and Iffie so made it more difficult to sleep. Very uncomfortable! Later in the flight, Iffie and I began talking to the man, named Kingston. He came on board with a guitar and I thought he was a reggae musician. Looks can be deceiving. He is a marine engineer who travels the world with his work – has visited 68 different countries and is very knowledgeable about world affairs. He is 31 years old and very interesting to talk to.

Our meals on plane were very good and lots of it! We stopped in Dubai to change planes. It is a huge airport and still building more. We looked at the shops but it was so crowded (at 6.00 am) we waited in the check in area. The new plane was smaller and even less comfortable, but we tried to sleep some more. We arrived in Zürich about 1.30 pm 22 May. My cousin, Waldemar and son Christoph were there to meet us. I was struck by how much Waldemar resembles my father.

Driving to Waldemar's home, we had to cross the border three times – from Switzerland to Germany, then back to Switzerland and then again into Germany. Engen is a small town of a few thousand people, very quiet. Waldemar's house is very nice, modern, four levels. We are staying in Christoph's room at the top (attic), very comfortable. We met Waldemar's wife, Roma, Christoph's girlfriend, Simone and younger son, Nick. Spent afternoon, evening talking. Fortunately, Christoph speaks English so we managed well.

Leaving today

2008-05-21T09:41:00.000+10:00

We're leaving for our holiday in Europe today so the excitement is finally hitting me. I've still got lots to do, packing etc., worried about how I'm going to fit everything in my bag. The last week has been very stressful with a family illness, but we're feeling better now. My sister is also travelling in Europe and has given me tips on the people we're visiting and the weather. The people they've been staying with are wonderful hosts and will make us very welcome. So it will be good to get off the plane to be met by them. Anyway, still work to be done, so must get on.

Our European Holiday

2008-05-08T16:15:00.000+10:00

Terry and I are travelling to Europe in a couple of weeks, which is both exciting and terrifying. Exciting to see places I've only seen in magazines or on television and terrifying to be travelling so far from home and all that is familiar. We fly in to Zurich and will then stay with a cousin in southern Germany. From there we will do scenic train tours around Switzerland and then train on to Austria, Czech Republic and Poland. There we will meet more of my cousins before travelling on through Germany and on to Amsterdam where we will join a river cruise down the Rhine and the Danube to Bucharest and the Black Sea. This Trafalgar tour is called Grand European Serenade and should be the most relaxing part of the holiday, I hope. From Bucharest we fly to London for a week before flying home. I'm going to try and keep this blog up-to-date while we are travelling.